Source: ITIN Services documentation. Last synced from GitBook content.

When to call the IRS, which number to dial, what phone menu to choose, what to say after connection, what identity verification information to prepare, and how to request a reissued ITIN notice.

Some applicants have not yet received the ITIN notice letter mailed by the IRS. The ITIN notice letter is usually sent by regular mail without a tracking number, so it is possible that the IRS has already mailed it but you have not received it yet.

If your ITIN has already been approved, calling the IRS directly can sometimes help you check the application status and may even allow you to ask for the ITIN number before the paper notice letter arrives. The paper CP565 notice is still important and should be kept securely, but if you urgently need to know the number first, calling can help.

The applicant should normally call personally. The IRS may refuse to disclose an ITIN number to a third party.

Check the current IRS processing timeline before calling.

Call the ITIN phone line and choose the live-agent menu.

Verify identity using name, birth date, nationality, mailing address, and foreign address.

Ask whether the ITIN has been assigned, and request the number or a reissued notice if needed.

Before calling, check the official IRS processing status page:

IRS processing status for tax forms

This page shows the overall processing status for different form types, not your personal case status. For example, it may show which month of Form W-7 applications the IRS is currently processing.

The IRS usually says to allow 7 weeks for ITIN application status notices. During the tax filing peak from January 15 to April 30, or when applying from overseas, it may take 9 to 11 weeks. If you still have not received the ITIN or an IRS letter after that period, you can call the IRS to check status.

An ITIN is a personal tax identification number, and the IRS is strict about identity verification. In most cases, the IRS will not disclose an applicant's ITIN number to a third party. Even with authorization, the IRS representative may still refuse to give the number to someone else.

For this reason, we recommend that the applicant call the IRS personally. If language or communication is difficult, we can help you prepare English wording in advance, and we can help explain while you are present. Whether the IRS accepts third-party assistance depends on how the representative handles the call that day. You can also ask the IRS representative to arrange telephone interpretation. The verification questions are usually simple. If you truly have difficulty, we will also help you ask for the ITIN.

Based on experience, we do not recommend calling right when the IRS business day starts or near the end of the day. During U.S. daylight saving time, try the following period:

Monday to Friday, 21:20 to 02:20 the next day Beijing time.

IRS ITIN-related phone number:

If you do not have a U.S. phone number, use an international calling service that can call U.S. numbers. Confirm the cost before calling because wait times can be long.

After the call connects, the system first asks you to choose a language.

After choosing English, the system continues playing the menu. The menu may change, but based on the path we have tested, after choosing English, press 1 again to reach a live agent path. Here you must press 1, not 2. Pressing 2 is much harder to get through because that line has many callers from around the world.

When the system plays a long message, do not press random keys. Wait patiently. Usually after about 2 to 3 minutes, the system may begin transferring you to the live-agent queue.

When you hear hold music, it means you are in the queue. If it is quick, you may connect in about 5 minutes. If it is slow, you may need to wait 30 minutes or longer. Stay on the call and do not hang up halfway.

After connecting with a live representative, explain that you want to check your ITIN application status and ask whether the ITIN has already been assigned.

You can say:

Hello, I submitted my ITIN application. Could you please help me check the status of my ITIN application? If my ITIN has been assigned, could you please tell me my ITIN number?

If the representative asks when you submitted the application, tell them the approximate submission date.

For example:

I submitted my application around March 10th.

Use your real approximate submission date. If you call too early, the IRS may say the ITIN has not been issued yet and ask you to keep waiting.

The representative usually searches the system first and then verifies your identity. Common questions include:

Speak your name clearly. We recommend reading it normally first and then spelling it letter by letter.

For example:

My last name is Wang, W-A-N-G. My first name is Wei, W-E-I.

Be careful not to confuse addresses. The U.S. mailing address and the foreign home address are two different addresses.

If you use our U.S. mailing address, read it slowly item by item, including street, suite number, city, state, and ZIP code. After reading it, you can ask the representative to repeat or confirm it to avoid address-entry errors.

If the IRS finds that your ITIN has already been approved, ask whether the representative can tell you the ITIN number.

You can say:

Could you please tell me my ITIN number?

After hearing the number, write it down immediately and confirm again:

Could you please confirm it again? Is my ITIN 9XX-XX-XXXX?

An ITIN is usually 9 digits and starts with 9. Make sure you confirm the full number. If it sounds like 8 digits, 10 digits, or any digit is unclear, ask the representative to repeat it.

If the IRS says the ITIN notice letter was mailed but you have not received it, say:

I have not received the notice letter yet.

Then request that the IRS resend the ITIN notice letter:

Could you please resend the ITIN notice letter to my mailing address?

If you have a stable U.S. mailing address, we recommend mailing it to the U.S. address first. ITIN notice letters are usually regular mail without tracking. If mailed outside the United States, international regular mail has a higher risk of delay or loss.

If you do not yet have a suitable U.S. mailing address, arrange a stable U.S. address first and then ask the IRS to resend. When requesting a resend, read the address slowly and confirm that the representative entered it correctly.

If the IRS says the application is still processing, ask whether anything is missing and when you should call again.

You can ask:

Is there anything missing from my application?

And:

When should I call again to check the status?

Record the representative's answer, including whether you need to keep waiting, whether additional materials are needed, and whether any letter has already been mailed.

Please also send the status update to [email protected]. If there is still no clear result, we can help review the situation and decide the next step.

Different IRS representatives may have different familiarity with the ITIN system. Sometimes one representative cannot find information while another can. If you still do not get a clear result after hanging up, call again after a few days and email us at [email protected].

If you already have the ITIN number but still need the official paper notice letter, continue asking the IRS to resend it:

I would like to receive a copy of my ITIN notice letter. Could you please resend it to my mailing address?

The representative may verify your address again. The resend request may take a few more minutes. Including queue time and identity verification, the full call may take more than 20 minutes.

To re-mail an ITIN notice letter, you need to tell the IRS the new U.S. mailing address. Read it to the representative and ask them to repeat it back to make sure the repeated address is correct.